When I am feeling disappointment, my Aunt Betty often tells me to take the “D” in Disappointment and change it to an “H” to make it   His Appointment.  Instead of going into disappointment and despair, we can see those trials in our lives as His appointment as He is permitting it for our good. Here are Betty’s words to me in red:

“Jesus works all things together for our good.  “Lord, help me to trust you for I know you’re by my side.” The Kingdom of the future is Satan’s territory.  Refuse it.  Close the door. It tortures us. God is in the present moment.  Suffering is what Satan exacts for cooperating with him. If we buy his stuff, we have to pay him back. We need to pray to discern those Hellish thoughts, so we don’t have to pay for them. Satan doesn’t give anything for free.”

I learned this the hard way as I ingested Satan’s lies for years, not realizing that they were a negative prayer. As I look back over my journals from years ago, I see how much my Aunt Betty tried to teach me this lesson, but I continued to dwell on lies.  Now I try to pray, put on inspiring music, read something to lift me out of the despair, or  talk with someone who can help me change my outlook. I try not to let myself replay the negative thoughts in my mind where they try to take root. Betty said…

“You need to learn to throw yourself on God’s mercy and that will move your trials along faster.  Pride seeks consolation in having it all together.  St. Therese delighted in her faults because it gave Jesus the joy of being merciful.  The things Satan tried to use to destroy her, she turned to the mercy of God.  When we see something in our lives that’s out of order, we can run to Jesus to get it healed.  God has mercy on the weak.  Our pride wants to do it on its own, and so we block the healing.  Being weak is humiliating.  Our pride wants perfection. 

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  (Matthew 11:28-29)

God wants us to throw ourselves on His mercy and grow stronger and live in His will.  We can let go of the perfectionist’s lie and learn to repent and find God’s mercy. Often when it’s no longer to our good that we be humiliated, than God can heal it.  When we are thoroughly convinced that our salvation is in Jesus and His merciful love, then He can heal the mess.  God always gives us what is for our best, not necessarily what we want. When we take our focus off Jesus, it destroys our peace.  That’s why Satan works hard on this.  In the movie “Shack,” God said to Mac Kenzie, “When all you see is your pain, you can’t see Me.”  If we focus on Jesus and letting Him take charge of our lives, everything will be okay. We will have peace if we let God do it in us.  We will know a deep interior peace on a daily basis.  Whenever our peace is disturbed, we know we are out of the will of God. It helps to move into repentance when peace leaves us.  Tell God we are sorry and ask to get back in our peace.  Jesus said to let nothing disturb us. 

Inevitably we will have more peace as we let go of things that are not in His will.  The more we cooperate, the less unnecessary suffering we will bring upon ourselves.  Changing that Disappointment into His Appointment brings peace because we are in a place of acceptance where He can work to bring us through the storm more quickly.”

Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. “ (Isaiah 40:31)